Aram Manoukyan, head of the HAK parliamentary faction, appeared to be in a fighting mood today as he peppered PM Sargsyan with questions regarding the government’s past track record and upcoming five year strategy plan.

“It is because of what you have done that 69,000 people have already flown out of Armenia this year. This is an 18% over 2011, declared Manoukyan.

The HAK official then rhetorically asked the Prime Minister, “If you were the president what would you do to a prime minister who questions whether it isn’t better to let these people leave rather than staying and creating a critical mass to stage a revolution?”

Prime Minister Sargsyan responded that everyone knows when the exodus started and that more people left in the years 1990-1995 than now.

Sargsyan added that the 2009 financial crisis also spurred emigration from the country and that job creation was of paramount importance in stemming the outflow.

The government head noted that the quote mentioned by Manoukyan had been incorrectly transcribed by the 168 Zham newspaper and that the publication had issued a retraction.